Amidst the debate over the TPP, the WTO this week showed us how much power trade deals can confer on international bodies to interfere with national legislation. Specifically, the WTO has ruled that Canada and Mexico can impose $1 billion worth of tariffs because of a U.S. regulation, in place since 2009, requiring country-of-origin labels (COOL) […]
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The Federal Trade Commission has announced that Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has agreed to settle FTC charges that the company’s security practices unfairly exposed the payment card information of hundreds of thousands of consumers to hackers in three separate data breaches. Under the terms of the settlement, the company will establish a comprehensive information security […]
NPR reports: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has imposed a $70 million civil fine on the parent company of Chrysler for failing to report safety data. A statement from the agency said Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, or FCA, has acknowledged that it failed to turn in "early warning report" data about accidents, warranty claims and […]
The NYT reports today on revelations by senior Volkswagen officials about when and why the company decided to design their cars to trick U.S. emissions tests. For a refresher, see our first discussion of the scandal here. Here's today's NYT piece.
Last week, the Ninth Circuit reversed a grant of summary judgment to Ford in a class action seeking damages for a latent defect in the Ford Focus's rear suspension from 2005 to 2011. The defect allegedly causes "premature tire wear, which in turn leads to safety hazards such as decreased control in handling, steering, stability, and braking, […]
Ready for this year's holiday gift-buying binge? Before you give gifts for kids, read U.S. PIRG's 30th annual edition of Trouble in Toyland. Go here to read PIRG's press release, which serves as an executive summary. The report surveys the dangers to kids posed by toys. The report covers toxins (such as lead and arsenic), choking hazards, excessively loud toys, […]
From our press release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s postponement to July 2016 of a significant patient safety rule leaves open a safety gap for the millions of patients who take generic medications, Public Citizen said today. The agency proposed the rule in 2013 in response to a 2011 Public Citizen petition (PDF). […]
This week, the the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a federal complaint against a Massachusetts debt collection firm called EOS CCA for reporting and collecting on old cellphone debt that consumers disputed and EOS did not verify. The company also provided inaccurate information to credit reporting companies about the debt and failed to correct reported […]
In a class action against Mattel, two mothers allege that the talking Hello Barbie doll invades children's privacy by recording their conversations and storing them in the cloud. Courthouse News reports: Mattel says on its website that Hello Barbie complies with the privacy requirements under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). But Archer-Hayes […]
Here. Definitely worth watching. (HT: ContractsProf Blog)